[Interview] Wu Lei Interview for NYLON (September 2020)

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Farewell to “Lu Xiaobei”. In the new semester, let senior Wu Lei accompany you to conquer the stars and the sea

Recently, the online drama “Cross Fire” ended. Wu Lei used a line from “追梦赤子心” to bid farewell to Lu Xiaobei, putting an end to this period of youth – “It is better to burn out than to linger on, and for the beauty in your heart, do not compromise until you grow old.”

Perseverance, vigor and progress, not being swayed by so-called stereotypes, and interpreting life in the way they like, this is Lu Xiaobei, Wu Lei, and all young people of Generation Z. It is the beginning of another September school year, with the stars and the sea in front of us, and the cover boy of Nylon’s new issue – Senior Wu Lei will accompany you to fight together.

Although summer is coming to an end, the story of dreams is still going on. When you were watching CrossFire, did Xiao Bei often make you cry and laugh, and sometimes you wanted to shout: “So handsome!”? Sometimes, like Tang Monk*, chicken soup comes to mind. I can sum it up in one sentence: “There are thousands of northern chicken soups, and there is always one bowl that suits you.”

*Tang Monk here is Tang Sanzang, the main character of The Journey To The West that was accompanied by Sun Wukong.

Of course, as long as everything to the game scene, you can prepare yourself to scream. Okay, let’s stop playing around. In fact, the reason why we are moved by Lu Xiaobei in “Cross Fire” is because of his liveliness, tenacity, unremitting pursuit of his dreams, and the enviable friendship he developed with his teammates and friends along the way.

During our meeting with Wu Lei in the September issue of NYLON, we also had an in-depth chat with him about Cross Fire, a work that made him want to post an 18-grid Weibo to commemorate its completion, and the changes that the role of Lu Xiaobei brought to him.

In addition, Nylon also invited five young boys and girls – Su Hang, Yoii Wang Youyi, Sen Wung, Long Yi, Qiu Ming AKi, to start a weekend camping with Wu Lei ⛺️! What is the most precious and beautiful quality of Generation Z? What is the most admirable lifestyle for young people? Let Sanshi brother* tell you in detail!

*Sanshi didi (Sanshi younger brother) is a nickname for Wu Lei. This is because the character “磊” from his name (吴磊) is composed by 3 stones (石). That’s why Wu Lei also called as 三石 (Sanshi).

Persistence, passion, and vigor. He is a member of Generation Z and also himself

With a sunny smile, sometimes joking, and sometimes listening attentively to the staff’s introduction to the filming, this youth idol who has been involved in the entertainment industry since the age of 3 has undoubtedly demonstrated all the good qualities that Generation Z or today’s young people should have.

“Sometimes I want to make myself more mysterious, but sometimes I want my presence to be noticed by others. In short, I think Generation Z is a very active but difficult to define group.”

Since starring in his first commercial at the age of 3, Wu Lei’s cute image and full acting talent left a deep impression on the director at the time. He then appeared in many film and television dramas including “The Young Warriors” and “Heroes Come from Young Age”. With his extraordinary talent, unremitting efforts and vigorous enterprising spirit, he has left his steady footprints in the entire industry.

Wu Lei, sitting on the chair at this moment, shows the childishness and vigor unique to his age. “I’m not as profound and thoughtful as you think,” he said jokingly when we asked him to describe what kind of personality traits young people should have today.

But having spent his childhood and teenage years in the ever-changing entertainment industry, Wu Lei is undoubtedly more calm and steady in dealing with people than many of his peers. He knows how to be grateful and is more willing to work hard for his ideals, which is also related to the training and teachings given to him by the industry.

“Every work I perform in, or every character I portray, is a choice I make, and I look forward to every new experience,” Wu Lei said. For a young actor, the success or failure of a work actually determines, to a certain extent, his/her career development in the next few years, or even the direction of his/her entire acting career.

With the popularity of many film and television dramas such as “Fights Break Sphere” and “Tomb of the Sea”, Wu Lei’s increasingly rich and solid acting skills have repeatedly won recognition and affirmation from professionals and the public.

From urban dramas to fantasy works, Wu Lei is constantly learning the philosophy of life while exploring his acting path. “I always remind myself to stay true to my original aspiration and to keep my original ideal. This is my motivation to move forward, and it is also what this industry has taught me about being a person and doing things.”

Wu Lei, who is still in the stage of exploring life “freely”, believes that he has a responsibility to young fans. “As public figures, we (actors) should set the right example for young people today. While gaining the love of fans, we should work hard to do what we should do and become better.” When talking about the fans who have always given him encouragement and care, Wu Lei smiled. “When I think of them, I will be more determined in the direction I want to go. They give me the strength and courage to move forward.”

With personality and edges. His treasure boy Lu Xiaobei

With the popularity of “Cross Fire”, Wu Lei’s mature and youthful acting skills have once again become the focus of people’s attention. After creating many popular images, Wu Lei today admits that his judgment and consideration of works have become more objective. “The script is what I value most when judging a work now. It’s back to the work itself. As long as the plot and character setting interest me, even if it is challenging for me, I will not hesitate to ‘face the challenge’: in addition, a team that gives me a sense of security and enough trust will also allow me to go all out to experience the lives of the characters in the play.”

As Wu Lei himself said, as he gets older, roles with increasingly complex plots and increasingly angular personalities are the ones that most inspire his fighting spirit and desire to perform. In the hit TV series “Crossfire”, which is about young people struggling in the world of online games, Lu Xiaobei played by Wu Lei is such a flesh-and-blood character, the passionate young people of today. “This is a youth film based on e-sports, but at the same time, it also reflects the real psychological activities of many contemporary young people. The complex and intricate plot is certainly attractive, but the sincere interaction between the characters is what really touched me.”

Wu Lei thinks that Lu Xiaobei in the play is full and lively. Like many young people, the companionship between him and his teammates and friends on the way to pursuing his dreams is the fulcrum and skeleton supporting the entire work. He also believes that this kind of mutual support between teammates and friends is the most valuable emotional treasure that should be cherished and protected in our lives.

Wu Lei, who has been extremely talented and worked very hard since he was a child, seems to see his own reflection in Lu Xiaobei, “He (Lu Xiaobei) is the character who gives me the most courage. Perseverance is his character.” The most striking feature among them is that whenever I feel tired, I will feel the strength he gives me.”

Dare to speak up for his own ideas. His definition of fashion

Speaking of fashion trends topics that young actors of Wu Lei’s age seem to be very concerned about, this big boy in comfortable clothes once again reveals his uniqueness as a young man of Generation Z. “I don’t think that paying too much attention to appearance is a must for young actors today. A truly “fashionable” person should respect his or her own ideas, make himself or herself more comfortable and confident. This is the definition of fashion in my mind.”

Wu Lei, who dresses comfortably and low-key in private, is extremely concerned about environmental protection. Whether he is participating in the National Geographic’s “Planet or Plastic?” themed road run or calling on young people in public to make their own contributions to the ecological environment around them, this positive and sunny young actor has never forgotten his social responsibilities. In his words, “When small forces come together, we can create huge waves.”

Wu Lei believes that his support for environmental protection and his call for young people to bravely pursue their dreams are all due to his most authentic and natural mentality. As a representative of Generation Z, he also believes that young people today should not blindly cater to other people’s ideas, but dare to speak out for their own opinions. This is a trend and coolness that transcends superficiality.

“Chasing your ideals and being carefree are both ways of life. Whether you choose to strive for success or just be comfortable and do what you set your mind to do, you deserve respect.” Wu Lei even said that even now, in the fast-paced life, he would leave himself enough space to breathe, pause, and reflect before starting again.

Even though he wanted to give himself more time to relax and settle down, his love for acting and his tenacity from the heart always made him spend more time than others to figure out and polish a role he loved. When we asked him how his personality has changed, Wu Lei replied with a humble smile that his personality has not changed much.

But he breaks through himself in each work, devotes all his efforts to it, and then continues to accept new challenges. It is hard not to see his increasingly mature transformation, not only in his acting skills, but also in his mind.

Perhaps from another perspective, Wu Lei today is indeed no different from his original self. He still guards his persistence and original intention in pursuing his dream. When the industry and the audience applaud and embrace him, what he gives back is always more and better than others can imagine.

Source: NYLON

[Interview] Wu Lei Interview for L’OFFICIEL (August 2020)

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Wu Lei: Good and Better

Good and better are the questions facing 20-year-old Wu Lei. Becoming a good actor and a better person is the answer he wants to give.

Hengdian World Studios in Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province is one of the three places Wu Lei is most familiar with. The other two are places near his home and near his school. Wu Lei, who started his acting career at the age of five, is very familiar with this most famous film and television base in China. He knows how to get around by bus and where there are delicious restaurants. This place seems like a hidden city. The world around it is changing but this place remains the same. He said that returning to Hengdian was like returning to his hometown. “The streets are still familiar, and the people are still familiar.” This is probably the daily life of an actor.

Wu Lei’s life seems to have been written into the word actor very early on. The first TV series he starred in when he was a child became the beginning of his acting career. “I think my acting career has been a tortuous journey, and each role is a small turning point. So my acting career is like an electrocardiogram, because each role is a transformation and turning point for me.” On the other end of the line was his voice imitating the electrocardiogram. It seemed that at that moment he had slightly shed his deep thoughts about his identity as an actor, revealing his playful nature as a teenager.

It seems that no actor has found the acting method overnight. He grew up in the crew, and those tricks and key points that seemed like martial arts secrets were taught to him by those more experienced actors through words and deeds. So he also began to think from the perspective of the character. “When I was a child, acting was more about imitation. The director told you what to do, and you just tried it. Now I will set a lot of frameworks for myself. I will really want to create a character, and then put myself in the shoes of this character and think from the perspective of this character, trying to integrate him into my own ideas, or design his background for this character, hoping to give this character more emotions and more different aspects.”

When he is not filming, he stays in his room watching old movies. Sometimes The Shawshank Redemption, sometimes Al Pacino’s performance in Scent of a Woman. He has watched these clips many times, “because those clips are so attractive to me and can give me strength. They let me see that an actor can actually convey such strong emotions and power to the audience through his performance. I feel that I have also been inspired and healed.”

It seems that when chatting with Wu Lei, we can’t avoid the topic of acting and actors. When asked about pleasing himself and pleasing others, he going around in circles and finally come back to acting. “I think these two things need to be connected, because if you feel happy pleasing yourself, you will try every means to please yourself, and you will forget the feelings of the people around you, and sometimes it is inevitable that you will be a little self-centered. But if you want to please others too much, you will forget yourself, and then you will lose yourself. So I think there should be a balance between pleasing yourself and pleasing others. I think this is actually one of the jobs of an actor. Because the role you play should not only realize your own value, but also be recognized and loved by the audience, so that this role can be objectively vivid and natural” As for Wu Lei outside of the actor, he doesn’t care so much whether he is liked by everyone.

I often wonder if a person will get tired after repeating the same work day after day for more than ten years? However, Wu Lei’s answer was still full of the passion of a young man. He still had a lot of curiosity about himself as an actor. “Sometimes when I’m acting, I often feel surprised at myself. I found out that I actually have this side and this kind of emotions. It’s been a long time since I’ve really been angry or sad. These negative emotions are actually rare in my life. But sometimes when I encounter such a scene, after I finish acting, I also feel that I actually have this side of myself in my body.” It is this passion and enthusiasm that has made this young man grow into “people” on the screen who are within reach.

Putting aside the macro topics of acting, what touched Wu Lei in life were the ordinary and trivial daily life. Those moments that made him feel like he was “really living”. “For example, a moment when you’re talking and playing with your friends, a moment when you’re alone looking out the window and hear the children playing downstairs, a moment when you’re laughing with your friends while playing games, or a moment when you’re washing dishes while cooking.”

Become an actor with great enthusiasm, and then live an ordinary life. It seems that there has never been a second different choice in his life. When asked, “If you could choose a new way of life, what kind of life would you most like to try?”, he only said, “I haven’t thought about this question. I like my current life very much.”

There are thousands of roads in this world, but please keep walking along the one you choose.

Source: L’OFFICIEL

[Interview] Wu Lei Interview for Men’s Uno (April 2020)

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Wu Lei: A Young Man Restraint and Love for Freedom

Wu Lei, who just celebrated his 20th birthday, has reached the “20s” of his life. On the road to adulthood, Wu Lei always maintained his passion for acting. He said, “Nothing can attract me more than acting.” Although Wu Lei is becoming more mature in the eyes of the audience, he still has a youthful vibe. He longs to experience the unfettered and free moments, and is willing to stick to what he wants to do. This cool boy is moving forward step by step with his feet on the ground.

On his 20th birthday, Wu Lei finally got his long-awaited driver’s license. He wore a yellow birthday hat and pink cartoon glasses and smiled very proudly. He had been waiting for too long, but he was not particularly excited. He calmly opened the door of the driver’s seat of the business car and drove the driver back. This first trip as a driver was not smooth. Wu Lei was stuck in traffic on the 5th Ring Road for more than an hour, and his foot was so weak when he stepped on the brake.

Due to his busy work schedule, Wu Lei took two years to get his driver’s license and almost missed the deadline. He also likes extreme sports. He wants to go skydiving in New Zealand the most. He especially wants to experience the feeling of freedom of falling freely in the air, but unfortunately he has never been able to do so.

Wu Lei became famous at a young age. Many of his life plans were constantly disrupted by various jobs, just like learning to drive and getting a driver’s license. Sometimes he really wanted to go on vacation, but he “failed again and again.” Fortunately, acting is the moment when he is most focused and enjoys it. When filming the TV series “Cross Fire”, there was a scene where the team won. Lu Xiaobei, played by Wu Lei, hugged his teammates to celebrate and at the same time also ready to accepted the moment of failure together. He said, “At that moment I felt like I was really a professional player. I really had a group of teammates who were united and loving. Sometimes you can’t tell whether they are your friends, your colleagues, or your teammates in the team.”

Wu Lei has been in the crew since he was a child, and he can feel the passion of his predecessors for acting every day. When the seniors finished a scene, the staff on the scene couldn’t help but applaud. This passion attracted him.

In real life, Wu Lei is also a person who “loves to act”. During interviews, he can always make people around him laugh. But sometimes, he prefers to be alone and do what he wants to do.

Actor Wu Lei is very stubborn. Every scene is important to him. In “Adoring”, there is a scene where the blind Chen Leyun, played by Wu Lei, walks to the school gate. His mother is holding a white shirt behind him to send him off. Chen Leyun turns around and gives his mother a thumbs up. At this moment of turning around, Wu Lei and the director had different opinions on whether Chen Leyun should smile or not. Wu Lei insisted on smiling, while the director insisted on not smiling. No one could convince the other, so they shot two versions before making the final decision. For Wu Lei, such scenes happen in almost every play.

In “Adoring”, Wu Lei plays a blind person for the first time. In order to prepare for the psychological process of this role, he visited the blind. During the conversation with them, he found that although they have lost their sight, they are still very brave and sunny, and bring beauty to others in their own way. Acting is Wu Lei’s way, and he hopes to bring beauty to the audience in his way.

Compared to when he was 18, Wu Lei feels that he is more patient at the age of 20. He was admitted to his ideal university and is “moving forward step by step with his feet on the ground.”

Conversation with Wu Lei

Men’s Uno: Do you think your mentality has changed since your 20th birthday compared to your 18th birthday?

Wu Lei: My mentality is actually not much different. I had just turned 18 at that time, and I was thinking about how to take the college entrance examination and the art examination. Now that I have been admitted to my ideal university, I’m in a state of mind to study hard, be down-to-earth, and move forward step by step. Maybe I’m more patient and mature now than I was then, and I’m calmer. As I get older, I feel that I’m becoming more and more clear about what I want.

Men’s Uno: What do you want most for your 20th birthday?

Wu Lei: Just do what I want to do, act in the roles I want to act in, and meet the people I want to meet.

Men’s Uno: Although you are growing slowly, what are the things you always want to stick to?

Wu Lei: People change, but what I don’t want to change is my dedication to my work. I don’t want to change in this aspect. I hope I can always do my best when filming or preparing for a play, and give my all to a role very carefully and patiently.

Men’s Uno: Have you ever done anything crazy to get into character?

Wu Lei: There is nothing crazy, it is almost the same, because different roles have different preparation methods. In “Adoring”, I played a blind person, so I looked up a lot of information about blind people, spent a lot of time practicing some of the blind people’s posture, and then understood their inner world; when I played “Cross Fire”, I also spent a lot of time preparing for the role, because that character also had some disability. But if it is a very ordinary character, there are actually many points about him that are worth pondering. No matter how big or small the challenge of this role is, there are many things worth pondering. It takes a lot of time. I spend a lot of time thinking about each character.

Men’s Uno: How long did it take you to prepare for the role of Chen Leyun in “Adoring”?

Wu Lei: You never feel like you’ve taken too long to prepare for a role, you know? You never feel like you’ve prepared enough, you always feel like you’re almost ready, but you’ll still wait a little longer before joining the crew.

Men’s Uno: If you are not preparing for a role, do you occasionally act?

Wu Lei: I would act for fun at school, and sometimes at home I would act while reading the script. I’m also a person who loves acting in my daily life

Men’s Uno: Do you get frustrated when you don’t act well?

Wu Lei: Every time after performing, I always feel that I could have done better, but the director is satisfied and OK. This is a repetitive thing. Because I always feel that I can do better, I feel a little regretful, but I think actors are beautiful because of these regrets.

Men’s Uno: Is there a goal you want to achieve?

Wu Lei: I have a very passionate and persistent attitude towards exploring the role, but as for the positioning and requirements of the role, I just hope to bring beauty to everyone through my work.

Men’s Uno: Do you consider yourself a stubborn person?

Wu Lei: In some aspects, yes. For example, when acting, I’m particularly stubborn about some things. When I read the script, including during auditions, I would repeatedly confirm a point what I want, and I would repeatedly tell the director what I want. In most cases, the director will think that this idea is good. Sometimes the director will also think if it’s feasible, then I will have some exchanges and communication with the director, which may last for a long time. Often in this case, we will shoot two versions because no one can convince the other. I think this is a good thing, because actors have requirements for their performances, and directors also have requirements for what they want.

Men’s Uno: What was the last time this happened during filming?

Wu Lei: This happens in every drama. But most of the time, the two people’s ideas can be combined. Only once in 20 times, for example, will you think that you are good this way and he is good that way, so who will be chosen? When no one can make a choice, we will shoot both versions.

Men’s Uno: Which animal do you think your personality is most similar to?

Wu Lei: I want to become a horse. I think horses are cool, handsome and free. The kind of horse that can run freely.

Men’s Uno: Is it important for you to be a cool person?

Wu Lei: I think it’s more important that my character is cool, because I myself cool.

Men’s Uno: You started acting at a very young age. Have you ever thought about what your other life would be like?

Wu Lei: I have thought about it, but I just can’t imagine it. I once joked with my family that with my personality, even if I didn’t become an actor, I would probably will also make my debut. Who knows, right? If I really didn’t want to be an actor, I would probably do a design job. For example, architect is very attractive to me. I was addicted to reading architecture books for a while. I still prefer to do creative work.

Men’s Uno: Actors are under a lot of pressure. Are there times when the pressure is so great that you can’t bear it?

Wu Lei: Everyone has such moments. Even if there is no pressure, people sometimes get irritable for no reason. So just adjust yourself.

Men’s Uno: Do you like to be alone when you are under a lot of pressure?

Wu Lei: Sometimes I like to be alone and do what I want to do most. I’m very efficient when I’m alone. You can read 25 episodes of the script in a day, but you can only read 5 or 10 episodes in a day when you laugh and joke with many people. The same is true for reading and playing games. Sometimes I can think through a lot of things when I’m alone.

Men’s Uno: Have you ever had a moment when you particularly wanted to escape from your current life?

Wu Lei: I sometimes want to go on vacation. Although I’ve been “trying but failed again and again” (in terms of having a vacation), I’m fine. I think work is a good thing and I like working.

Men’s Uno: Do you consider yourself a workaholic?

Wu Lei: I guess so.

Men’s Uno: Now that you are 20 years old, will you think about your life plan?

Wu Lei: Because the profession of an actor is full of unknowns, it is difficult to really plan anything, and you can only take it one step at a time. If I were to talk about a longer-term plan, I have already embarked on the path of an actor, and my plan is to act well and be a good person.

Men’s Uno: Besides acting, is there anything else you want to do?

Wu Lei: I don’t have anything else I particularly want to do right now. I’m also a “master of backing off”. In fact, there is really nothing that can attract me as much as acting.

Source: Men’s Uno

240720 [Photo] Wu Lei in BVLGARI Instagram and Twitter Update

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